Fence-making machine.



PATENTED APR. '7, 1908.

D. P. MALONE. FENCE MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17,1907.-

i. qllill 'l UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

DANIEL P. MALONE, OF ROGKWOOD, ALABAMA.

FENGE-MAKIN G MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL P. MALONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockwood,-in the county of Franklin and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Building Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a machine for building picket fences, and the object of my invention is to roduce a wire stretcher and crosser that will be sim le in construction,

certain in operation, 'anc cheap to manufacture.

With these objects in view, my invention consists in the novel combinationof parts hereinafter disclosed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification :Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my wire stretcher, and wire crosser in use. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the main shaft of the wire stretcher, and Fig. 3, an elevational view of the wire crosser.

Like letters refer to like parts in all the views.

My wire stretcher is com os'ed of a stout box like frame, provider with suitable means B, to which the stays C may be fastened, near the top and bottom, as shown and the said stays are provided with suitable means, as the eyes D, through which a suit able fastening means may pass and secure the said frame in an upright position. Of course these stays may be duplicated upon the o posite side of the frame, or the frame may e secured in position in any other suitable manner.

Su ported by the frame, and near to one side t ereof, is the shaft E. This shaft carries a series of ratchet sleeves F, as shown.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 17, 1907.

Patented April 7, 1908 Serial No. 393,368.

] portion M of the frame at the point N. This plate L, consists of a straight flat piece with an oblong rectangle cut out of one corner thereof, thereby forming the cut away portion shown in Fig. 2. This cut away portion enables the cut away end of this late L, to wedge in between the upper end 0 the sleeve F, and the lower surface of the frame as shown in Fig. 1, as well as in Fig. 2. The plate L, being pivoted at the point N, as above described, readily swings in and out of the frame and thereupon engages and disengages the said sleeve as described. The function of this plate L is to hold the said ratchet sleeves F into their locking ositions as above stated. When the said p ate L is swung away from said sleeves, the same may be raised and lowered along the rod E, and thereby disengage their respective teeth. The ratchet sleeves F are provided with staples O, to which may be secured the wires P.

My wire crosser consists of the bar Q provided with the cross arms R at each end, and to these cross arms are ivoted the tumblers S, as shown. Each of these tumblers are provided with a pair of staples T, or equivaent means, through which the wires P may pass. The sleeves F are furthermore provided with holes V, into which a suitable instrument may be placed, in order that the said sleeves may be rotated.

The operation of my device is as follows The frame is suitably. secured in an upright position, and the wires are suitably attached to the means O, carried by the ratchet sleeves F, and the locking plate L is swung out of its locking position. With a suitable instrument placed in the hole V of the lower sleeve F, the same is then turned around until the wire P attached to the said sleeve is drawn sufficiently tight for use. The awl H, engaging the ratchet Gr, holds the sai sleeve F into the position in which it is turned. The instrument is next placed in the hole V of the sleeve next to the bottom, and its wire P is likewise stretched. The ratchet teeth of this second sleeve F engage the ratchet teeth at the top of the said lower sleeve F, and likewise holds this said second sleeve into the position in which it has been turned. This operation is repeated on the upper sleeves carried by the shaft E, and when the topmost wire has been sufficiently stretched, the locking bar L is swung into place, and all the wires are held firmly in their stretched positions. Before attaching these wires P to the various sleeves F, however, they were passed through the staples T in the wire crosser, as shown in Fig. 1, and when the stretcher is looked, as above described, the operator by merely moving the said wire crosser up and down causes the wires to be crossed, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, when he may place a paling or a picket. through the crossed portions and drive the same firmly into the ground. This operation is repeated until the fence is built the distance desired. By simply unlocking the plate L, the ratchet sleeves F may be disengaged from each other, and any wire may be additionally tightened, or slackened, as the operator may desire.

My machine and crosser may be made of any suitable material, and most of its parts may be formed by casting. Without limiting myself to the exact details shown, since the same may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention,

What I claim is 1. In a picket fence building machine, the combination of a suitable frame, means to secure the same in an upright position on the ground, said means including stays rovided with loops at their outer ends, a slaft carried by said frame nearer one side of the same than to the other, sleeves provided with interengaging ratchet teeth on said shaft, staples on said sleeves by which the wires to be stretched may be secured to said sleeves, holes in said sleeves adapted to receive an instrument by which the said sleeves may be rotated to tighten the said wires, a pivoted cut away locking plate L secured to the up er ortion of the said frame and adapted to 1ol the said ratchet sleeves in locked position, a ratchet on the lowermost of said sleeves, and a pawl on the lower portion of said frame engaging said ratchet, substantially as described.

2. In a picket fence building machine, the combination of a suitable frame, means to secure the same in an upright position on the ground, said means including stays secured to the top and bottom of said frame and provided with loops at their outer ends, a shaft carried by said frame nearer one side of the same than to the other, a plurality of sleeves provided with interengaging ratchet teeth on said shaft, the upper one of which is cut away, staples on said sleeves by which the wires to be stretched may be secured to said sleeves, holes in said sleeves adapted to receive an instrument by which the said sleeves may be rotated to tighten the said wires, apivoted cut away locking plate L secured to the upper portion of the said frame and adapted to engage the cut away portion of the said upper sleeve and to hold the said ratchet sleeves in locked position, a ratchet on the lowermost of said sleeves, and a pawl on the lower portion of said frame engaging saidratchet, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL P. MALONE.

Witnesses:

D. C. POUNDERS, E. P. JAcKsoN. 

